Home Office

Forensic Science

Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to police and forensic nurses regarding the use of Alternative Light Sources to detect bruising on dark skin; and what steps they are taking to support the use of this process.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office has not issued any official guidance.The identification and interpretation of bruising is medical opinion and well established (see for example Assessment of bruise age on dark-skinned individuals using tristimulus colorimetry - PubMed (nih.gov)) in terms of amount of force, type of impact and longevity. Darker skin makes it more difficult but not impossible to examine. Various light sources and other means can be used to reveal or enhance the information which is a branch of forensic photography.

Duty Free Allowances: Republic of Ireland

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Penn on 19 February (HL5309), what checks on amounts of duty-free tobacco and alcohol the Border Force carry out on passengers from the Republic of Ireland entering Great Britain by ferry or aircraft to ensure excise duty is paid where allowances are exceeded.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Border Force is committed to detecting those who would attempt to evade Duty Free controls and deploys to risk using tested but continually assessed intelligence and targeting techniques.Border Force does not record or publish information relating to the number of checks carried out against specific cohorts of arrivals into Great Britain. Doing so would publicise operational practices which would be used to assist in the evasion of customs controls and compromise Border security.

Internally Displaced People: Darfur

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the number of people being displaced in Darfur annually, (2) the total number of asylum claims from Darfur, (3) the current grant rate of asylum claims for (a) Sudanese, and (b) Darfuri claimants, and (4) how long it takes on average to process such claims.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: Our country policy and information notes (CPINs) on Sudan can be found here: Country policy and information notes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). These are kept under constant review and updated periodically on the Gov.uk website.Data relating to claimants from specific parts of a country, such as Darfur, is not held in a reportable format and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost as it requires a manual search through individual records.However, the grant rate for Sudan in 2022 can be found in figure 4: How many people do we grant protection to? - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)We also regularly publish data on the total percentage of asylum applications processed within 6 months of the date of claim which can be found at Asy_01 of the Asylum Transparency Data January 2022- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-and-protection-data-q4-2022.The number of asylum decisions awaiting a decision can be found at ASY_D03 Asylum and resettlement datasets - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). This can be broken down by nationality and shows the number of pending initial decisions for 6 months or less, and for more than 6 months.Asy_01 - Transparency Data January 2022  (xlsx, 1715.6KB)ASY_D03  (xlsx, 1240.1KB)

Female Genital Mutilation: Criminal Investigation and Prosecutions

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how many cases of female genital mutilation have been (1) investigated, and (2) prosecuted, in (a) 2022, (b) 2021, (c) 2020, and (d) 2019.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyinstances of forced marriage occurred in (1) 2022, (2) 2021, (3) 2020, and (4) 2019.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made ofnumber of girls under the age of 18 who are British Citizens who have been married abroad.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government is committed to tackling forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM). On 27 February 2023 we brought into force legislation which raises the minimum age of marriage and civil partnership in England and Wales to 18, and expands the offence of forced marriage soit is illegal to do anything to cause a child to marry before they turn 18, even if coercion is not used. Since April 2019, the Annual Data Requirement for England and Wales has required police forces to provide quarterly data returns to the Home Office on the number of offences they have recorded which they have identified as being related to ‘honour’-based abuse, which includes FGM. The table below shows the number of FGM offences recorded by the police from April 2019 to March 2022.  April 2019-March 2020April 2020-March 2021April 2021-March 2022FGM offences recorded by police747877 There have been two prosecutions for FGM under the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003, these occurred in 2019. We do not hold information on the number of British girls under the age of 18 who have been married abroad or on the total numbers of forced marriages which have occurred.We recognise that data on the prevalence of FGM and forced marriage is limited. That is why are funding a feasibility study explore whether a more rigorous estimation of the prevalence of these crimes in England and Wales can be made. This study is estimated to complete later this year.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Russia: Sanctions

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of sanction breaking corridors or transit hubs affecting the efficacy of sanctions regimes implemented in relation to the situation in Ukraine; and if so, where these corridors or hubs are located.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In the London declaration signed with Ukraine, the Prime Minister committed to taking determined action with partners to tackle all forms of sanctions circumvention. The UK Government is working with international partners to close loopholes, combat circumvention and undermine Russia's attempts to build global resilience to sanctions. This includes working jointly with US and EU sanctions co-ordinators to raise the issue with a number of countries that may be undermining the sanctions imposed by the UK and its allies. The UK Government will continue to assess where and how third-countries may be allowing UK business to circumvent sanctions and take action accordingly.

Armenia: Azerbaijan

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the outcome of the Munich Security Conference of 18 February regarding Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: During his meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov in Baku in February, the Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty MP, discussed the Munich Security Conference meeting between President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan. Minister Docherty reinforced the UK's longstanding position that direct dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan will support efforts to secure stability and peace in the region. During his upcoming visit to Yerevan the Minister will deliver similar messages to representatives from the Armenian Government.

International Assistance: Ukraine

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what topics, industries and sectors they intend to prioritise through discussions in the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Ukraine Recovery Conference will focus on the role of the private sector in supporting recovery and reconstruction. It will provide a platform for the Government of Ukraine to set out its priority reforms, particularly in the business environment, and for international partners to signal their support and their offer to Ukraine. The conference will look at how to unblock obstacles to investment and how governments, the private sector and civil society can work together to support recovery and reconstruction efforts in the longer-term.

Myanmar: Fuels

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to prevent British insurance companies from insuring vessels delivering aviation fuel to Myanmar.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We updated our Overseas Business Risk Guidance in February 2022 to make it clear UK businesses should conduct thorough supply chain due diligence to ensure commodities, such as aviation fuel, do not reach the Myanmar military. On 31 January the UK announced its fourteenth round of sanctions against two entities and two individuals responsible for the supply of aviation fuel to the Myanmar Air Force.

Armenia: Azerbaijan

Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the establishment of the EU’s Civilian Mission in Armenia on 23 January; and what expectations they have for its work.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government remains fully supportive of all efforts by international partners, including the EU, to help to secure peace and stability in the region, and remains in close contact with these partners to support their efforts. During his visit to Azerbaijan on 22 February the Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty MP, reinforced the importance of Armenia and Azerbaijan reaching a sustainable negotiated peace settlement. He will deliver the same messages in his forthcoming visit to Armenia.

Myanmar: Natural Gas

Baroness Nye: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to prevent British companies' involvement in Myanmar’s gas industry which may facilitate revenue for the Myanmar military.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are unaware of any British companies providing services to Myanmar's gas sector. Since the military coup in Myanmar, the UK has led international efforts to reduce the military's access to revenue, arms and equipment. To prevent the military from profiting from natural resource extraction, we have imposed extensive sanctions on the regime and its associated businesses. We have also strengthened our Overseas Business Risk Guidance to warn companies of the risks associated with Myanmar's extractive sector. We will continue to do all we can to cut the military's access to revenue, through sanctions and non-sanctions measures.

Exports: Ukraine

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Penn on 30 January (HL4895), with which government agency in Ukraine they are engaging in regards to the 2023 Ukraine Recovery Conference.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Ukraine Recovery Conference will be a high profile event, co-chaired jointly by the Prime Minister and President Zelenskyy, aimed at building an effective and lasting economic recovery.HMG Ministers and officials continue to have regular discussions with members of the Government of Ukraine on a variety of topics, including the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2023. We are working closely with Ukrainian partners to ensure it delivers tangible progress. Prime Minister Shmyhal's office is coordinating the input of Ukrainian ministries, including the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine.

Global Disinformation Index

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure value for money and propriety in the dispersal of funds to the Global Disinformation Index.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Contracts and grant agreements between FCDO and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) related to this project clearly set out activities and regions in which activities funded by FCDO will take place.All FCDO programmes and projects comply with appropriate HMG programme management, commercial and financial rules and guidance, including ensuring value for money and monitoring and evaluation of project performance. The Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty MP, can confirm that the FCDO's GDI project complies with these rules.GDI provide formal quarterly performance reports to FCDO and there are frequent informal contacts between GDI and our programme managers.

Global Disinformation Index

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they have provided to the Global Disinformation Index since 2017; and for what purpose they have provided it.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO Counter Disinformation and Media Development Programme has funded the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) since 2019, for activities outside the US, providing £1,999,026 between 2019 and 2022, with a further £600,797 during the current financial year.As graphically demonstrated around its illegal war in Ukraine, Russia has made disinformation central to its foreign and security policies and invested massively in systems to deny, obfuscate and distract from its actions. The Kremlin exploits any issue or system, including internet platforms and social media.GDI uses technology to identify malign use of the internet and works with technology companies to respond appropriately.

Windsor Framework

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what new legislative changes they intend to introduce as a consequence of the Windsor Framework.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The instruments set out as part of the Windsor Framework will be approved at the next meeting of the UK-EU Joint Committee. After that, both the UK and EU will take forward legislative measures to translate the solutions into law.

Myanmar: Armed Forces

Baroness Nye: To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they have provided for determining which infrastructure projects in Myanmar are not under the control of the military.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are clear UK businesses should not work with the Myanmar military. The UK's Overseas Business Risk Guidance encourages UK businesses to conduct their own enhanced due diligence before making any investments, to ensure they do not enter into commercial relationships directly with the military or with their supply chain. To inform our Myanmar sanctions strategy, we conduct thorough research to identify military linked companies and their beneficial owners. Since the coup, we have announced 14 rounds of sanctions, which have limited the military's access to arms, revenue and equipment.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Antisemitism

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to combat antisemitism.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given to Question (attached) UIN 117512 on 16 January 2023.UIN 117512 (pdf, 85.8KB)

Windrush Generation: Anniversaries

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to celebrate Windrush Day in 2023.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has committed £3.75 million in funding to date toward honouring the Windrush legacy. This includes £2.75 million across five years of the Windrush Day Grant Scheme, and £1 million allocated to the National Windrush Monument.HM Government is fully committed to ensuring that National Windrush Day celebratory events in 2023 mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of MV Empire Windrush at the Port of Tilbury.We have already announced that the funding pot offered by the 2023 Windrush Day Grant Scheme has increased from £500,000 to £750,000. This is the largest sum yet to be offered by the scheme. For the first time, projects operating in Northern Ireland were also given the opportunity to apply for funding.Details of this year's grant scheme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-75-windrush-day-grant-scheme-2023/windrush-75-windrush-day-grant-scheme-2023-guidance-for-applicantsDLUHC has also committed £50,000 toward developing educational materials, which will be made available via HM Government's National Windrush Monument website. These will ensure that the contributions of the Windrush generation and their descendants are recognised across the UK.I can also confirm that officials have been asked to explore further what else we can do ahead of the summer.

Islamophobia

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to combat anti-Muslim behaviour and prejudice.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: This Government will not tolerate Anti-Muslim hate crime in any form. We have supported Tell MAMA (Measuring Anti-Muslim Attacks) with nearly £5 million between 2016 and 2023 to monitor and combat anti-Muslim hatred and support Muslim victims of hate crime.

Local Government: Devolution

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what further devolution deals they expect to conclude in 2023.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to transfer additional powers to combined authorities in 2023; and if so, what powers to which authorities.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the state of devolution in England; and what plans they have to publish any such an assessment.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: We want to see every part of England reap the benefits of devolution and have made significant progress with the six new deals announced in 2022. The Government is in discussions with places to identify potential candidates for new devolution deals in 2023 and we will set out more detail in due course.This Government is committed to not just extending the benefits of devolution to new parts of England, but to deepening existing devolution settlements. As the Chancellor set out at the Autumn Statement, the government will deliver the Levelling Up White Paper commitment to sign new 'trailblazer' devolution deals with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands Combined Authorities by early 2023. The government is in discussion with the mayors of these areas to devolve powers to deliver levelling up in areas such as skills, transport and housing. These 'trailblazer' deals will act as a blueprint for other areas to follow.This Government has set itself a mission that by 2030, every part of England that wants one will have a devolution deal. The Levelling Up White Paper made clear that devolution is essential for Levelling Up. For too long, decisions impacting many communities of England have been taken in Whitehall. Devolution is about giving local areas more flexibility, freedom and accountability to deliver. Before 2010 the only significant devolution in England had been in London. Now, strong mayors in our major cities are acting as agents of economic growth. Levelling up requires strong and dynamic local leadership, that can understand how complex issues come together in a place; tailor policy to local priorities; attract investment; and seize each area's opportunities.

Levelling Up Fund

Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government which of the local authorities they have designated as priority category 1 have received funding from the Levelling Up Fund in either round 1 or round 2; and which ones have not.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: We have published a full list of priority categorisation for round 1 (attached) and round 2 (attached) of the Levelling Up Fund on gov.uk.Along with this, we have also provided the list of successful applicants to the first (attached) and second rounds of the Fund.Round 1 (xlsx, 36.5KB)Round 2 (pdf, 94.1KB)First (pdf, 84.7KB)

Department for Education

Environment Protection: Training

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to ensure that opportunities for retraining in green skills are available to workers currently employed in the oil and gas sector.

Baroness Barran: The North Sea Transition Deal, published in March 2021, commits to supporting up to 40,000 jobs, including decarbonising UK Continental Shelf jobs and across the Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) and Hydrogen sectors. Government charged the Offshore Petroleum Industry Training Organisation with developing an Integrated People and Skills Strategy for this transition, which was published in May 2022. The Strategy commits the UK to a just transition to net zero by 2050.There are approximately 118,400 direct and indirect workers in oil and gas, and 148,500 in the wider offshore energy sector. The number of offshore energy sector jobs is expected to increase to 350,000 by 2050. The Strategy estimates 90% of the existing UK oil and gas workforce has skills transferable to other offshore energy sectors. The Strategy commits to developing transition pathways to support offshore energy workers open to moving between sectors. This includes integration with the Armed Forces Covenant.A digital skills passport is in development that allows people working in offshore energy to be occupationally competent across oil and gas, CCUS, Hydrogen, and offshore wind. According to the Green Jobs Taskforce report, published in July 2021, approximately 50%, or 100,000, of the UK’s offshore energy jobs by 2030 are predicted to be filled by workers transferring from oil and gas to offshore renewable roles, as well as new entrants from outside the sector. A 2020 survey of the oil and gas workforce indicated over half were interested in moving to renewable energy jobs, provided they were supported with the right training.The UK Offshore Operators Association (OEUK), an offshore energy industry body, committed to developing a greater understanding of the offshore energy sector’s demographics in the North Sea Transition Deal’s one-year progress report. OEUK will publish guides on inclusivity, flexible and transparent recruitment, and promotion pathways. They will encourage reporting on ethnicity pay gaps in 2023. The diversity workstream will later go on to examine inclusion factors such as neurodiversity and social mobility.The Department has a range of skills and training offers that can support workers looking to transition between oil and gas, and other offshore energy sectors.Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks that give people the opportunity to build sector-specific skills and access to an interview with an employer. Courses are currently available in energy skills such as offshore renewables, and offshore wind safety training.Apprenticeships are available in a range of occupational standards and can give employers and employees the skills they need to grow. The apprenticeships offer includes training in a huge range of disciplines, from logistics and project management to engineering and manufacturing. Flexibilities within apprenticeships include accelerated apprenticeships, which support those with existing industry experience to complete more quickly by recognising their prior leaning.

Schools: Admissions

Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to families of seeking a special school place through the court system.

Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to families of appealing a local council decision not to grant an education, health and care plan to a young person.

Baroness Barran: It is free for families to appeal to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Tribunal when seeking a special school place or a local council decision not to grant an education, health and care (EHC) plan.Throughout the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper consultation, families told the department how stressful and lengthy the Tribunal process can be. The SEND and AP Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out the response to the consultation feedback the department received and the next steps we will take in delivering vital reform for children and young people.This includes our intention for a new national SEND and AP system, underpinned by national standards, to improve early identification of needs and set clear expectations for the types of evidence-based support that should be available in mainstream settings. Our objective is to ensure that all children's additional needs are met effectively and quickly within affordable provision, reducing the need for an EHC plan and, where an EHC plan is needed, to ensure that parents do not endure lengthy and adversarial processes to secure one.

Home Education

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the survey by the Association of Directors of Children's Services Ltd (ADCS)Elective Home Education Survey 2021, published in November 2021, which found that 115,542 children were home educated during the 2020/21 academic year, representing a 34 per cent increase from the 2019/20 academic year.

Baroness Barran: The Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) Elective Home Education survey in 2021 was a data collection independent of the government. However, the department did review it with interest, at the point of publication.The ADCS estimated cumulative total of electively home educated children in the 2020/21 academic year increased by 34% from the previous year to 115,542. The survey also reported that the most common reasons given for a child becoming electively home educated were health concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic, and other health or mental health reasons.While the department knows most parents who choose home education for their children are committed and educate their children well, this survey did correspond with reports from local authorities at the time, about rising numbers of electively home educated children and that this increase was being driven by reasons other than a commitment to home education.Similarly, the report noted local authorities’ concerns about being uncertain of the true size of the electively home educated cohort, due to the lack of a statutory register of electively home educated children.The government remains committed to establishing statutory local authority registers of children not in school, and to progressing these measures at the next suitable legislative opportunity.In the meantime, the department is continuing to work with local authorities to improve their non-statutory registers. In October 2022 and January 2023, the department also requested local authority aggregate data on Elective Home Education and Children Missing Education, to improve understanding of these cohorts.

Disability and Special Educational Needs

Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the perceived stigma of special educational needs and disabilities.

Baroness Barran: The Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan, published on 2 March 2023, sets out a plan to establish a new national SEND and AP system with the mission to fulfil children’s potential, build parents’ trust, and provide financial sustainability.The department’s vision is to create a more inclusive society that celebrates and enables success in all forms, with the cultures, attitudes, and environments to offer every child and young person the support that they need to participate fully, thrive, and fulfil their potential.The Improvement Plan sets out the department’s reforms to ensure the process for identifying needs and accessing support is early, dignified, affirmative, and focuses on a child or young person’s achievements, talents, and strengths.

Productivity: Young People

Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the difference in economic productivity between young people with special educational needs and disabilities and those without.

Baroness Barran: The department does not have an overall assessment of economic activity for those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and those without. We do have multiple sources of data on the activity of young people of all backgrounds.The average median annualised earnings for learners who completed a further education course in the 2019/20 academic year and were recorded as having a learning difficulty or disability was £18,140 in the first full tax year after completion. This is slightly below the average for learners with no learning difficulty which is £20,620.The department knows that not in education, employment or training (NEET) rates are higher for those with a disability. Recent estimates from the Office for National Statistics show that disabled 16 to 24 years olds are approximately three times more likely to be NEET compared to non-disabled 16 to 24 year olds in the UK.The department acknowledges that this is not good enough, which is why on 2 March 2023 we published the SEND and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement plan in response to the green paper published in March 2022. This outlines the government’s mission for the SEND and AP system to fulfil children’s potential, build parental trust and provide financial sustainability. This can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1139561/SEND_and_alternative_provision_improvement_plan.pdf.

Unemployment: Young People

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government how many young people aged 16 to 18 were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in each of the last five years.

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of young people aged 16 to 18 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) in each of the core cities in England.

Baroness Barran: Anybody who is not in education or training and not in employment is considered to be NEET. Consequently, a person identified as NEET will always be either unemployed or economically inactive. The number of young people aged 16 to 18 NEET is therefore hard to measure, due to needing multiple data sources spanning education and the labour market.The department’s most robust estimate of those aged 16 to 18 NEET in England combines departmental administrative data and the labour force survey, and is published in the national statistics release ‘Participation in education, training and employment age 16 to 18’. Latest data to the end of 2021 can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-and-training-and-employment/2021. The next update of this release which includes estimates of those NEET to the end of 2022 will be published by July 2023.The table below shows NEET numbers and rates; rates should also be considered due to the changes in overall population numbers:Participation release estimates age 16-1820172018201920202021Population1,874,6811,838,3611,836,7711,861,4381,913,867Number NEET120,864120,512122,997124,702123,016% NEET6.4%6.6%6.7%6.7%6.4%In addition to these national statistics, the department has also published more timely NEET estimates from the labour force survey (LFS), with data to the end of 2022 being published on 2 March 2023. As this is survey data, associated confidence intervals (CIs)[1] should be used alongside the estimates, and these statistics should be used to see the latest trends in NEET rates. Caution should be used if considering in-year changes. The following table gives these estimates:LFS estimates age 16-18201720182019202020212022Population1,787,8301,780,8771,781,2761,797,3251,820,4221,857,517Number NEET111,418124,410133,297108,23285,470151,851CI number NEET+/-17,640+/-18,745+/-20,196+/-19,537+/-16,988+/-26,480% NEET6.2%7.0%7.5%6.0%4.7%8.2%CI % NEET+/-1.0%+/-1.1%+/-1.1%+/-1.1%+/-0.9%+/-1.4%Neither of the above sources provide robust estimates of NEET at city level, due to the methodologies or restrictions in sample sizes. However, as part of the raising participation age legislation, local authorities are tracking young people’s participation in education and training up to age 17. This information[2] is published annually at the following link: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/participation-in-education-training-and-neet-age-16-to-17-by-local-authority/2021-22. Below is a summary table which shows, to the end of 2022, the number of 16 to 17 year olds in each of the local authorities aligning with the core cities in England, and the number of those known to be NEET or who’s activity is not known.Local authorityCohort number  (age 16-17)Number NEET/activity not known  (age 16-17)Proportion NEET/activity not known  (age 16-17)Newcastle upon Tyne5,7673906.8%Liverpool9,9237527.6%Manchester12,5537055.6%Leeds17,4241,3567.8%Sheffield12,1728346.8%Nottingham6,5953094.7%Birmingham31,6602,0856.6%Bristol, City of8,9345376.0% For further information on the sources above and methodological differences between them, please see the ‘Other NEET sources’ section at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/neet-statistics-annual-brief.[1] Surveys, such as the LFS, provide estimates of population characteristics rather than exact measures. In principle, many random samples could be drawn, and each would give different results, since each sample would be made up of different people, who would give different answers to the questions asked. The spread of these results is the sampling variability, which generally reduces with increasing sample size. For example, with a 95% confidence interval, it is expected that in 95% of the survey samples, the resulting confidence interval will contain the true value that would be obtained by surveying the whole population.[2] Some caution should be taken if using these figures due to the estimates being based on management information and there being considerable variation at local authority level in how well 16 and 17 year olds are tracked and hence not known proportions can impact on the estimates of the proportion NEET.

Department of Health and Social Care

Public Health: Finance

Baroness Thornhill: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the adequacy of the level of funding of the public health grant to local authorities.

Lord Markham: At the Spending Review 2021, we considered the need for local authority public health funding and confirmed that the public health grant to local authorities in England would increase over the settlement period.  In 2022/23, the Grant increased by 2.81% to £3.417 billion. This is in addition to targeted investment through local Government in Start for Life support and drug and alcohol treatment services. We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly, and in doing so will consider the impact of changes to pay and inflation trends and forecasts since the Spending Review.

Coronavirus: Immunosuppression

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 1 February (HL4939), when the figures referred toin the Written Answer on 12 April 2022 (HL7711), which provide the number of clinically extremely vulnerable individuals who do not make antibodies through the vaccinations currently available but who would be protected by pre-exposure prophylaxis from monoclonal antibodies, will be updated.

Lord Markham: The Independent Advisory Group produced a report in July 2022 identifying a prioritised list of people with conditions for which it may be clinically advantageous to receive neutralising monoclonal antibodies prophylaxis, which was submitted to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) as part of their Health Technology Evaluation of Evusheld. A copy of NICE’s committee paper, published 16 February 2023, is attached, see Pages 972 – 987.NICE nMABs appraisal committee paper (pdf, 6298.1KB)

Public Health: Finance

Baroness Pinnock: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the funding they provide to local authorities is sufficient to deliver statutory public health responsibilities.

Lord Markham: At the Spending Review 2021, we considered the need for local authority public health funding and confirmed that the public health grant to local authorities in England would increase over the settlement period.  In 2022/23, the Grant increased by 2.81% to £3.417 billion.  This is in addition to targeted investment through local Government in Start for Life support and drug and alcohol treatment services. We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly, and in doing so will consider the impact of changes to pay and inflation trends and forecasts since the Spending Review.

Public Health: Finance

Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the level of funding of the public health grant to local authorities.

Lord Markham: At the Spending Review 2021, we considered the need for local authority public health funding and confirmed that the public health grant to local authorities would increase over the settlement period.  In 2022/23, the Grant increased by 2.81% to £3.417 billion.  This is in addition to targeted investment through local Government in Start for Life support and drug and alcohol treatment services. We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly and in doing so will consider the impact of changes to pay and inflation trends and forecasts since the Spending Review.

Public Health: Finance

Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government when they willinform local authorities of their provisional public health grant budgets for 2023–24.

Lord Markham: We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly.

Public Health: Finance

Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the public health grant in (1) 2023–24, and (2) 2024–25, in line with inflation as announced in the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021.

Lord Markham: We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly.

Public Health: Finance

Baroness Pinnock: To ask His Majesty's Government when local authorities will be informed of the provisional public health grant budgets for 2023–24.

Lord Markham: We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly.

Public Health: Finance

Baroness Thornhill: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the public health grant in (1) 2023–24, and (2) 2024–25 will increase in line with inflation as announced in the Spending Review 2021.

Lord Markham: We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities in England shortly.

Public Health: Finance

Baroness Thornhill: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to inform local authorities of their provisional public health grant budgets for 2023–24.

Lord Markham: We will announce 2023/24 Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities shortly.

NHS: Databases

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on27 February (HL5458), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of examples of (1) the YAML specifications, and (2) the python code, currently used to create or define dashboards within the NHS installation of Palantir Foundry.

Lord Markham: NHS England is not releasing technical details, including specifications or code from the Foundry system, as it would go beyond details provided to bidders as part of the commercial process to procure its replacement, the Federated Data Platform and Associated Services.

Nurses: Industrial Disputes

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent further disruption to the NHS given the industrial action taken by nurses.

Lord Markham: The priority is to keep patients safe during any industrial action. NHS England makes every effort to minimise disruption during industrial action, working with providers, professional bodies, trade unions and other bodies to agree safe levels of cover. On 2 March, the Government invited the NHS Staff Council, who represent Agenda for Change unions, to join a series of intensive talks covering pay, terms and conditions improvements and productivity enhancing reforms. Unions representing the majority of ambulance workers, nurses, physiotherapists, porters, cleaners and other non-medical staff have now agreed to pause strikes and enter a process of intensive talks.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Nature Conservation: Reform

Baroness Parminter: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the proposals contained in theNature recovery green paper: protected sites and species, published on 16 March 2022, what plans they have toreform the designations of protected sites (1) on land, and (2) at sea, including (a) the types of designations, and (b) the overall structure.

Lord Benyon: The reforms explored in the Nature Recovery Green Paper have fed into the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), our delivery plan for protecting nature. A summary of responses to the Green Paper will be published separately.Any substantive changes to the legislative framework governing protected site designations, which includes both European sites and SSSIs, would require legislation and therefore follow normal parliamentary process and scrutiny.

Department for Transport

Cars: Accidents

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 15 February (HL5298), how many car accidents occurred inEngland between 2000 and 2016 in which the glare of car lights was recorded as either the (1) main, or (2) a contributory, factor leading to the crash.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The number of reported personal injury road collisions in England involving at least one car, and which had the contributory factor ‘vision affected by dazzling headlights’ assigned to the collision by a police officer attending the scene is shown in the table, for each year between 2005 and 2016. Data on contributory factors was not collected prior to 2005. Statistics on collisions involving dazzling headlights are produced based on contributory factors assigned by police officers attending the scene of collisions. A reporting officer can assign up to six factors which in their judgement may have contributed to the collision. These factors are not based on a full investigation, and some factors may not be obvious to the officer and are therefore likely to be underreported. No distinction is made as to whether or not a factor is a ‘main’ factor. YearCollisions involving at least one car, where ‘vision affected by dazzling headlights’ was recorded as a contributory factorTotal collisions involving at least one car where a police officer attended and at least one contributory factor was recorded2005373116,0052006411114,8342007341110,1422008348102,9162009305100,244201024594,911201131692,553201226790,105201329684,807201427690,739201524884,637201624078,038

Merchant Shipping: Crew

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government which Government department maintains an up-to-date list of all UK merchant seafarers, officers and ratings.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Maritime and Coastguard Agency holds data on the number of Officers and Ratings who hold UK seafarers’ certificates and recognised qualifications.

Merchant Shipping

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government how many merchant ships over 3000 tons by category are UK registered; how many merchant ships over 3000 tons by category are owned by UK companies but not UK flagged; and whether an up-to-date list is maintained by the Ministry of Defence or another Government department.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Currently, there are 249 UK Flagged vessels over 3000 Gross Tons (GT).There are currently 660 Internationally trading UK owned vessels over 3000 GT operating under a different flag to the UK. A list does not exist outside of the Maritime Coastguard Agency in any other Government Department in relation to these figures.

Customs: Ashford

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have spent on establishing the Inland Border Facility at Ashford Kent so far, broken down by capital costs and running costs; and how much Kent County Council has received for the services it supplies in relation to this site.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The total capital costs incurred by the Department to build the Inland Border Facility at Sevington are £154m. This includes facilities to carry out customs checks and inspections, and includes £70m on the Border Control Post (BCP), which is capable of carrying out biosecurity checks on sanitary and phytosanitary goods (SPS). Kent County Council has received an additional £9.2m revenue funds related to resource for traffic management, auxiliary operational facility support, temporary facilities, signage and winter services costs this includes c£730,000 for staff costs for their project and contract management services since July 2020. His Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has been responsible for mobilisation and operational costs from March 2021 onwards. The Department understands that total running costs incurred by HMRC from the 2020-21 financial year to year-to-date are £88m.

Trams: Biomethane

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether converting bus routes to trams in urban areas with low-cost vehicles fuelled by biomethane has a role in achieving the UK's commitment to the Global Methane Pledge to reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Mass transit, including light rail and bus rapid transit, is largely devolved in England outside London. It is for local authorities to determine whether mass transit interventions are appropriate and proportionate, including with respect to technology, fuel choice and local decarbonisation ambitions.

Roads: Litter

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government which minister has responsibility for reducing the amount of litter discarded at the side of Britain’s motorways and major roads.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Minister for Environmental Quality and Resilience, Minister Rebecca Pow, is responsible for litter policy across Government. The Department for Transport works closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and collaborates on these issues. The Minister for Roads and Local Transport, Minister Richard Holden, is responsible for the maintenance of motorways and major A-roads in England and holds responsibility for litter along these roadsides.

Roads: Litter

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking, if any, to clear the litter discarded by the side of motorways and major roads in Britain; and what are the blockages preventing this from being dealt with so far.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Safety is paramount when clearing litter from the Strategic Road Network in England and should only be undertaken by professionals after stringent organisational planning. Litter picking usually requires traffic management and overnight working. Relevant organisations across Government work closely together to improve collaboration between organisations responsible for litter clearance, influence littering behaviour, and improve the operational effectiveness of litter clearance. National Highways staff undertake weekly road inspections along the Network to identify litter, detritus and safety hazards. National Highways arrange for appropriate action as soon as possible in line with the Code of practice on litter and refuse, published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This is in addition to ad hoc work taken in response to road users’ reports.

Roads: Litter

Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthe amount of litter discarded by the side of motorways and major roads in Britain has increased or decreased in the last 12 months.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: National Highways reported that over 2021/22, 60.8% of relevant parts of the Strategic Road Network had no litter, refuse or detritus, or was predominately free of litter, refuse or detritus apart from some small items, per the Code of practice on litter and refuse. This is the most recent data available. Data for 2022/23 will be reported to the Department for Transport and the Office of Rail and Road, and published in annual reports to Parliament, this summer.

Cycling and Electric Scooters: Accidents

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany casualties have been caused by (1) e-scooters, (2) e-cyclists, or (3) cyclists, in England in each of the last three years.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The number of casualties in reported road collisions in England involving i) a pedal cycle and ii) an e-scooter are shown in the table, for the last 3 years for which data is available. The Department cannot disaggregate non-powered pedal cycles from pedal-assisted pedal cycles or motorised pedal cycles. YearCasualties in collisions involving a pedal cycleCasualties in collisions involving an E-scooter201916,6610202015,964474202116,3671,396

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods

Lord Hampton: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities about any revenue generated from Low Traffic Neighbourhoods, and any plans they may have for using that revenue to improve cycling infrastructure.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport has not had any such discussions. Vehicle access restrictions used to create a Local Traffic Neighbourhoods are implemented and enforced using existing prescribed traffic signs. These are enforceable in the same way and with the same penalties as when used on any other part of the road network. The use of any surplus revenue is strictly ring-fenced in legislation towards covering enforcement costs, specified local authority-funded local transport schemes, or road improvement and environmental measures.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Baroness Grey-Thompson: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to enforce the new British Standards Institute Accessible Electric Vehicle Standard for charging stations.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: While compliance with Publicly Available Standard (PAS) 1899, published by the British Standards Institution (BSI) last year, is voluntary, the Government is actively encouraging relevant parties to adopt its specifications. The Government will continue to work with industry and other parties to ensure effective implementation of PAS 1899 and inform the 24-month review of the standard, which will be led by the BSI.

Treasury

Assets: Russia

Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government whatestimate they have made of the total value of the assets in the UK belonging to sanctioned Russian citizens.

Baroness Penn: Between February and October 2022, £18.39 billion in frozen funds were reported to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) as being held or controlled on behalf of an individual or entity designated under the Russia sanctions regime. This is in addition to frozen funds reported to OFSI as part of the 2021 Frozen Asset Review, which totalled £44.5 million under the Russia regime. These figures are provided in aggregate so as not to disclose the value of any funds held by particular individuals. HM Treasury does not break down reported assets in the manner requested. Each year, OFSI undertakes a review of frozen assets as a result of UK financial sanctions legislation. The value of assets reported to OFSI as part of the 2022 Frozen Asset Review will be published in OFSI’s 2022-2023 Annual Review, in Autumn 2023.

Banks: Devon

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty's Government how many bank branches in Devon closed in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, (3) 2020, (4) 2021, and (5) 2022.

Baroness Penn: The Government believes that all customers, wherever they live, should have appropriate access to banking services. Nonetheless, decisions on opening and closing branches are a commercial issue for banks and building societies. The Government does not intervene in these decisions nor make direct assessments of these branch networks. Based on constituency level data published by LINK there are over 650 ATMs and more than 80 bank branches in the county of Devon. Guidance from the Financial Conduct Authority sets out its expectation of firms when they are deciding to close their branches. Firms are expected to carefully consider the impact of planned branch closures on the everyday banking and cash access needs of their customers and consider possible alternative access arrangements. This ensures that the implementation of closure decisions is undertaken in a way that treats customers fairly. Alternative options for access include via telephone banking, through digital means such as mobile or online banking, or the Post Office. The Post Office Banking Framework allows 99% of personal banking and 95% of business banking customers to deposit cheques, check their balance and withdraw and deposit cash at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK. New shared banking hubs are also being piloted, providing basic banking services and dedicated space where community bankers from major banks can meet customers of that bank.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Voting Behaviour

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, what was the voting turnout among members of the Royal Air Force, Army, and Navy stationed overseas at each of the last three general elections.

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that voting is accessible to servicepeople in each branch of the military; and what education and support on voting they provide, particularly for younger personnel.

Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence does not hold any voter participation information as it would not be appropriate to track when or where Service personnel have voted. However, voter registration campaigns are run annually to notify personnel of upcoming elections and to make them aware of their voting options.

Department for Business and Trade

Minerals

Baroness Northover: To ask His Majesty's Government which department the minister with responsibility for critical minerals will be based in; and when the Critical Minerals Strategyannounced in 2022 will be updated as planned.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: The Department with lead responsibility for critical minerals is the Department for Business and Trade. The Government is planning to publish a refreshed approach to the Critical Minerals Strategy in Spring this year to reinforce the 2022 Strategy, highlight delivery progress to date, and set out upcoming delivery milestones.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Common Frameworks

Baroness Andrews: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyRetained EU Law statutory instruments are relevant to Common Frameworks; and what proportion of all Retained EU Law statutory instruments this number represents.

Lord Callanan: It is too early to assess the number of statutory instruments (SIs) needed to amend retained EU law but all SIs will be publicly available once laid before Parliament.The Retained EU Law Dashboard shows where retained EU law sits across departments, policy areas and sectors. It is updated quarterly to document the government's progress in identifying, amending, repealing or replacing retained EU law.Common Framework documents set out the key Retained EU law that is relevant to those Frameworks. The Government is working to identify which Retained EU law is relevant to existing Common Frameworks and we are discussing this with the devolved governments through the Frameworks.

EU Law

Baroness Andrews: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of items of legislation on the Retained EU Law Dashboard that will be retained, broken down by department numerically and as a percentage of the total to be retained; and if they are currently unable to provide this information, whether they plan to publish it before Report Stage of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill in the House of Lords.

Baroness Andrews: To ask His Majesty's Government what are the criteria for determining which items on the Retained EU Law Dashboard are to be retained.

Lord Callanan: Each Government Department is responsible for its own Retained EU Laws (REUL). They are currently in the process of assessing and developing proposals for whether they intend to revoke or reform each piece of legislation, or preserve it from the sunset, following normal policy-making procedures. This will include assessing whether the REUL is still needed, if it is operable and fit for purpose, working with relevant stakeholders as appropriate. Any resultant legislation will be laid before Parliament in the usual way. The Government plans to update the retained EU law dashboard to reflect the outcome of this process on a quarterly basis.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government how many and what proportion of benefit claimants currently under sanction (1) are in paid employment, (2) are receiving hardship payments, (3) have a medical condition, or (4) were in hospital or attending a medical appointment when they were deemed to have failed to comply.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The information requested for parts (2), (3) and (4) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. In November 2022 (4%) of those who received a sanction were in the working – with requirements and working – no requirements conditionality regimes.  Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason. These requirements are developed and agreed in discussion with their work coach and tailored to their individual capability, capacity and specific circumstances, including any health conditions or disability, ensuring they are realistic and achievable. Those who are not expected to look for work, such as those with severe health conditions, including mental health conditions, are not subject to requirements or sanctions.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government how many benefit claims were subject to sanctions in the most recent three months for which data is available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; how much was the total and average sum of benefit income lost by claimants due to sanctions in each constituency; what was the (1) shortest, (2) average, and (3) longest, length of time taken to challenge a benefit sanction decision in the most recent 12 months for which data is available; and when, and for what reason, the Department for Work and Pensions ceased requiring a case conference to assess the impact of a sanction before any sanction was imposed.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The latest monthly statistics, taken from Stat-Xplore, on the number of Universal Credit full service claimants with a payment that has been reduced due to a sanction, by Westminster parliamentary constituency, for September to November 2022, are provided in the answer I gave to you on 6 March for HL5653. The information requested for the total and average sum of benefit income lost and parts (1), (2) and (3) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason.

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government how many children are living in households in which a benefit claimant is under sanction.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason. These requirements are developed and agreed in discussion with their work coach and tailored to their individual capability, capacity and specific circumstances, including any health conditions or disability, ensuring they are realistic and achievable. The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.